FLEXION
“When drivers brakethey
work theextensor muscles.
Thisrearwardexercise
is towork on the flexor
muscles. Thesegenerally
don’tget worked heavily,
because on acceleration
the drivers havea pad that
sits behind their helmet,
whichhelps support them.
Workingthe neck’s flexor
muscles maintains balance
and creates stability.If
you overworktheother
muscles andthe flexor
muscles arevery weak you
havean unstable head.”“Drivers needtobevery
strong in their upper
trapezius shoulder
muscles, because our
heads are about 8% of our
body weight, typically 6.5kg
(including helmet). Multiply
thatbytheG-force loading,
say 6G of braking, that’s
39kg offorce, equaltoa
12-year old sitting on your
SIDE NECK
FLEXION
“Neck strengthening isa
crucial part of a driver’s
regime and they should
start earlytobuilda
foundation in karting,
where corneringforces
can be as high as 2.5G.
Withthisside lateral flexor
exercise, you needto
maintain a neutral head
position with a chin tuck.
Whenwe perform theserepetitions onthe bench,
the driver must hinge from
their hip and not move
their head when pivoting
because it can stress
the cervical/neck spinal
joints. Separately we work
on rotation, which uses
different muscles, as it’s
importantfor driversto
be strong enoughtolook
into corners and mirrors.”headfor afew seconds,
repeatedlyfor uptotwo
hours. This isoneofthe
most crucial areas because
it’s unsupported in the
car.Toensure a driver can
withstand this, they must
maintain strength and
endurance capacity, so this
shrug builds a platform of
supportfor headand neck.”F1 RACING AUGUST 2019 51DUMBBELLSHRUGS